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A state-funded collaboration between the Delaware Department of Education and the University of Delaware Library providing online magazines, journals, encyclopedias and training for all Delaware K-12 public schools

Black History (House Bill 198)

Separate but Equal: Segregation

Excerpt from Plessy v. Ferguson:

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) was a landmark Supreme Court case which legitimized the "separate but equal" doctrine for public facilities. It was used to uphold racial segregation in Jim Crow America during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. The decision is considered by many legal scholars and historians to be one of the worst in Supreme Court history. It set a legal precedent that the "separate but equal" principle was constitutional.”

 

Additoinal Readings:

Plessy v. Ferguson and Segregation

Critical Thinking Questions

1. What impact did Jim Crow laws have on the ability of African Americans to exercise their right to vote?

2. In what other ways did Jim Crow laws affect the lives of African Americans?

3. Why did the citizens of Louisiana attempt to challenge the Separate Car Act?

4. What is the relationship between Jim Crow laws and the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling?

5. Only one judge, Justice John Harlan, ruled in favor of Homer Plessy.  What reasons did Justice Harlan give for supporting Plessy?

6. How did the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling impact schools in America and the students who attended those schools?